Nearly 400 new special school places planned

Almost 400 new school places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are set to be created in Lancashire.

Lancashire County Council has put forward plans to build two brand new SEND schools, to expand three others and a college, and to create five new SEND units within existing mainstream schools.

The plans are subject to formal consultations before they can be confirmed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A report to councillors said the plans included a new social, emotional and mental health special school in east Lancashire which is set to open in September 2028, with 70 places for ages nine to 18.

Cabinet member for data, technology, customers and efficiency, David Dwyer, said the plans showed "our administration's commitment to increase the number of school places for those children and young children people…[who] require specialised provision".

The report to members said the projects would help ensure there were enough "high-quality schools and places for children and young people with SEND, close to where they live", reducing the need for costly transport and long journey times.

They will also increase the proportion of SEND youngsters educated in maintained or academy special schools, rather than independent settings.

The proposed mainstream SEND units were designed to ensure pupils would have access to dedicated areas to meet their needs, but were also "able to feel fully included in the wider school", the report explained.

A new autism special school with access to mainstream curriculum to GCSE and A-Level is also planned for east Lancashire, and is due to open in September 2027.

Councillors heard there are currently no maintained facilities for young people who are autistic or have attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and who require a small specialist setting, but who have access to "mainstream academic pathways with high academic challenge to GCSE and A level standard".

The council said young people in that situation often attended mainstream school, but with their school career characterised by "severe absence" – or they were removed by their parents to become electively home educated.

Other plans include the creation of five new secondary mainstream school SEND units for speech, language and communication needs (including autism) in schools in west Lancashire, Wyre, Lancaster, Chorley and Burnley by September 2027.

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